Hybrid: Aurora Edition

by SairaCrystaline

A story in the Pokemon world with a trans protagonist who lives through some of the worst life has to offer, but refuses to back down and always does their best to do the right thing. Lots of hurt/comfort, comedy will be in places, don't expect much hetero stuff to happen. And plenty of filled in holes the canon of the games leaves.

8. Chapter 8: Strength, Will and Emotion

We have now seen the methods Aurora and her family undertake in order to survive within the concentrated apocalypse that is their situation. Effective though it may be, it is a relatively infrequent respite from the hardships they must undergo. And now, they will be tested in more ways than one.

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Umbrum 5th~~

Jean and Indra had asked us to come with them again today, but this time we didn't go to where the arena was. We walked in a totally different direction. I looked at Mama, my mind suddenly kicking into high gear.

What's gonna happen now? Jean and Indra don't feel too worried, but still… and wouldn't this be good to pay attention to? To help everyone figure out a way to escape if we can figure out where this goes?

Indra trilled softly. {Rest your heart, youngling. We're fairly certain that nothing bad will happen today. All the same, be on your guard. Just in case.}

I nodded, moving a bit closer to Mama. The hallways all looked the same, just with slightly different door placements. Only when we got to one and stopped, Jean taking out a keycard, did we look around to see if there was anything noteworthy. Something to tell where we were in relation to everything else.
And there wasn't a thing to go off of.

Paris said it's like a maze… I dunno what that is, but it's definitely confusing.

The door hissed open, Jean giving me a worried smile. "Today shouldn't be too bad. Just sit at the table, do what's asked as best you can, and try not to punch anyone. I'll be back later."

Me and Mama nodded, and we walked inside as the door shut behind us. I looked around to see… not much of anything, really. There was a metal table and two chairs on either side that were bolted to the floor, lights up above behind glass and a faint hum of air circulation. In the corner there was an odd mechanical box. The roof, walls and floor were all solid metal, but there were more seams and rectangles on them than the walls outside. I didn't know what they were for, but neither me or Mama liked them.

When we got to the chair, one of Mama's tails held me back gently. {A moment, my child.} She sniffed the chair, inspecting it from all angles slowly, until she gave a small nod. {I believe it is safe to sit on.}

Maybe, but…

I sat on the floor with Mama, hugging her. "{I don't gotta sit in a chair, just at the table. And I wanna be with you…}"

A small smile crossed her face, love and worry in equal measure in her heart. {Of course, my child.}

We sat like that until the door hissed open again, not too long after we'd gotten in. We both looked over to see a woman dressed in a white Galactic coat over a turquoise dress. She had blond hair tied into a bun, wore round rimless glasses and had jet black eyes. In her hands was a tablet with the Galactic symbol on it.

{Oh good. Another self-important human.} Mama rolled her eyes while I held closer to her.

"My name is Eloise. Today you will be testing your capabilities outside of battle. I will be facilitating said tests," She explained plainly. "First we will be testing your control."

Eloise took out a remote controller and clicked it at the odd box I had noticed earlier. The box came to life as it grew arms and wheels, rolling its way over to her. The box opened itself up and pulled out a thin piece of paper before holding it before me.

"Burn the paper slowly," Eloise ordered.

I scrunched up my face before looking at Mama, who gave a small nod. I guess it's okay?

I took the paper and had to ignore my want to burn it all in one go, just to spite her. A couple embers winked to life in my hand, slowly gnawing away at the paper as it blackened and curled. Soon, the part I was holding snapped off from the rest, the paper falling to the floor as it was slowly engulfed. An acrid smell filled the room.

Eloise tapped away at her tablet while the robot cleaned up the ash before pulling out another paper. "Burn this one faster."

I didn't like her tone at all, and she felt like an ass like lots of other Galactic people, but I wasn't gonna see what happened if I punched her. Not now, anyway.

So I burned the paper quicker, and did other weird little things she wanted me to do. Burn only a part of it, freeze some water and then freeze lots of it, stuff I could tell Mama wasn't even really sure why we were there. She started making noises happen from different parts of the room, and my ears always swiveled towards them. I thought it was obvious I could hear things, but apparently not.

Until we got the idea that it wasn't just if I could hear that they were trying to figure out.

Eloise clicked a button, and some hushed cackling that sent a shiver down my spine started playing. There weren't any footsteps, or a heartbeat or anything, so it was just the voice. Still though, I instinctively held closer to Mama. She felt like she recognized it, glaring at the lady.
She didn't pay much attention to Mama though. She just typed on her tablet, muttering, "Subject responds negatively to Sneasel vocals…"

Sneasel? Why? That didn't sound like the evil one, but still… Another shudder ran down my spine. I don't like hearing them…

When she clicked the button again, a bunch of other voices came on, one after the other.

"Do these sounds interest you in any way?" Eloise asked me.

I thought for a moment.

She feels interested, but not in a good way… like she's hoping for a bad thing? I guess telling her what I feel would be good then.

"{They sound like friends,}" I said with a small smile, more to Mama than anyone else. Mama nodded, curling a couple tails around me a little more.

Eloise frowned. "It does not incur any violent thoughts? Do you feel hungrier now after listening?"

My ears tilted back a little. "{I still hate the edible goop stuff. I just wanna hug them…}"

Eloise sighed before tapping away at her tablet, talking to herself once again. "Subject reacts only to predatory sounds, but not prey."

I dunno what prey is, but if it makes Galactic sad that I don't like it? Then it's good.

After that, stuff was boring again for a while. They asked me to read letters off a sheet of paper, from big at the top to smaller and smaller at the bottom. I could read them just fine, even when Eloise went to the other side of the room with it. She brightened and dimmed the lights to see if I could still see (and got annoyed when I used a fire to see), asked me the texture of different things, stupid stuff. Until she pressed a different button.

At the side of the room, one of the walls opened up a small part of it. Behind it a circle thingy came out, flat against the wall and with red and white circles painted on it with a red dot in the middle. The box popped out a ball, which Eloise put on the table.

"Hit the center of the target while you're standing here to the best of your ability," she said listlessly. Mama meanwhile was observing the ball, checking it at various angles and making sure it was safe.

I dunno why she pulled out a ball, but okay?

I held my hands together, a ball of snow and ice forming between them before I gently tossed it into the air. It floated up, then lazily to the target before hitting the red dot in the middle with a small puff noise.

Eloise rolled her eyes. "Use the ball right in front of you to hit the target."

At that, both me and Mama narrowed our eyes at her. "{You never said anything about the ball, just hitting the target,}" I retorted, my ears tilting back further.

"Pick it up and throw it at the target," she repeated, ignoring me as she typed a bit more into her tablet with clear annoyance. She was grumbling about me going too slow.

Well if she's gonna be an ass, I'm definitely not gonna do what she wants.

This time, I picked up the ball and threw it at the target. But I wasn't trying to hit it. Just make it go in that general direction. It didn't even make it halfway before bouncing against the ground, making a soft flumph as it hit the ground.

"Petty child," Eloise scoffed as she tapped away at her tablet before sending in the next test. After that, it was just more boring stuff like if I could figure out what shapes are and stuff like that.

After what felt like too long in a not deadly awful but still bad way, there was a series of light beeps from the door as it opened, showing Jean and Indra standing there. "It's time for Aurora and Ivane to get back to the others," she said while looking pointedly at Eloise. I didn't need to feel much to know the two didn't really like each other.

Eloise breathed a sigh of relief as she got up. "Finally," she said as she put some things in the box and it rolled back to where it'd come from, "I thought that'd never end."

Me and Mama rolled our eyes.

Yeah, sure, you're the one who couldn't wait for the stupid things to end.

As Eloise was walking by Jean, she glanced at her. "I do not know how you handle them everyday. Their disobedience is exhausting."

Jean just narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked back. "I think they do perfectly well. I've never had any issues with them, and they're all reasonable people."

Eloise scoffed as she walked off, but I could feel that she was more annoyed while Jean and Indra felt more positive than they had before. Which me and Mama definitely felt too.

Anything Galactic doesn't like is good.

Jean then walked over to us, Indra walking beside her. "Everything go okay? No punching?"

I shook my head, but stuck out my tongue. "{The things were stupid, I didn't like them… it took way too long.}"

She smiled. "That's what we call boring as sin."

Suddenly, I heard a chuckle. My ears turned before my head did, and we saw one of the Grunts in the hallway chuckling to themselves. At being looked at they suddenly stiffened, walking away without bending their elbows or knees at all. Mama raised an eyebrow, but I was curious.

They felt… sympathetic? Maybe there's more Jeans and Indras…

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Tenebrice 7th~~

When Jean had come to get me that day, she felt… a lot more worried. When I asked her about it, she gave me a sad look and said, "Today… is probably gonna be a little harder. Just stay strong, okay?"

Mama gave me a worried look, and I moved a little closer to her.

Hopefully it's just a fight or something…

We went down the way that we usually do to get to Rhodo, but we went one door past him this time. When Jean opened the door for us, she gave me a forced smile. "Good luck."

Me and Mama looked around. It looked a lot like what Rhodo's office did, but a lot… sadder. There weren't any plants anywhere, the lights were harsher and had a more angry hum to them, and everything was so clean it felt like the room would attack you just for standing in it.

Soon enough, the telltale hiss of the door belayed Eloise's arrival. She held a small metal box in her hand, like the thing she'd had in the other room with several buttons on it. She didn't feel like she cared at all, and didn't say hi or anything. She just clicked the button and a machine gave her a needle on a teeny glass bottle, like the one Rhodo had used.

Does she know how to feel bad for being an evil motherfucker? I don't think she does.

Her eyes fell on Mama, her annoyance plain while Mama stared back with all the hate she deserved. We both knew she was gonna do something mean.

"Try anything." She removed a pokeball from her pocket and clicked the button. The light that came from it just kept getting larger and larger, forming into a big mass in the middle with four huge legs. When the light dimmed, what stood there was a huge Pokemon made of steel with a huge x on their face. Their red eyes bored into the both of us, no empathy at all within them. Each of their legs had these huge spikes at the end, but what freaked me out most was how they felt. They felt way too much like Cyrus did. "You answer to this one. Metagross, watch the Ninetales."

Mama glared down the huge metal Pokemon, meeting their gaze with a cold fury they couldn't match. But we both knew that she couldn't fight them. Not right now. Not without me getting hurt or her getting taken away…

She didn't relax, but she did move closer to me and nudge me gently. {I am here for you, my child.}

{Correction: That is Fused #001. You are Fused Ninetales specimen #001. No familial relation is present,} they said in a monotone voice that sounded way too much like it was being said four times over all at once.

Mama rolled her eyes. {A shame all the processing in the world can't give you the empathy of those of your kind I've met elsewhere.}

They continued to stare. {Irrelevant: Empathy is inefficient.}

{A foolish sentiment that seems to be common in this place,} Mama groaned.

"#001, sit here," Eloise pointed to the stool next to her. My eyes quickly darted from Mama to her, and I could feel my heart starting to race.

At… at least I can punch her probably?

I slowly moved away from Mama and sat on the stool, but even despite my racing heart? I glared at her. "{I'm not a number, I'm Aurora!}"

Eloise rolled her eyes. "I can only understand half of what you say, so don't bother." She turned to the table next to her and began fiddling with the supplies. She took out a white puffball, dabbed it in a sharp smelling liquid before grabbing my arm. She rubbed the puffball on my left shoulder before taking the glass tube and sticking it into my arm. Just like before, I couldn't feel anything. Once she finished, she put a bandaid on it and walked towards the door.

"I feel a bit bad about this, but I'm sure you'll be fine," She said before she opened the door to let Jean inside. "We're done here, take them to Rhodo. This is the antidote in case things get ambiguous." Eloise handed Jean a vial before gathering her stuff, recalling the big steel Pokemon and walking away.

Anti-what now?

Mama came to me the moment she had left while Jean grimaced, but quickly came in while my head started to feel a little funny. "Come on, let's get you to Rhodo. You won't have to go anywhere else but with him today, alright?"

I nodded, Mama gently ushering me onwards. As I walked, the world started to spin some and my head hurt more. Even just getting to the door was harder than before. My limbs felt all tingly, and my stomach felt like I'd just tried to eat a bed. When we stopped, I squinted my eyes a little.

"{Did Rhodo get two doors…?}"

Rhodo came out of the doors, but when he saw me I could feel his heart sink as he rushed me inside. The dizzy feeling got so bad that I almost fell over, so he just picked me up and brought me into the infirmary. Rhodo began looking for something in a cabinet in a rush.

"She looks dazed out of her mind and her eyes are foggy. What the hell did they do to her?"

Jean sighed with barely contained irritation while Mama jumped up and curled around me protectively. "Something about testing her toxin resistance. They gave me an antidote to give to you, but only if she's about to die. If we try and give it to her early… Jupiter would probably just come up with something worse to give her."

Rhodo gave her a dumbfounded look as he continued gathering supplies. "What could be worse? In fact, do you know what the hell they gave her? No one told me this would be happening!"

She shook her head while Mama nuzzled me. By this point I felt like throwing up what little I'd had earlier. "I know it's supposed to kill an adult human in minutes. Past that…" she trailed off, clenching her fists.

Rhodo blanched at the news. "What the fu- in minutes? This is a child! The poison will just circulate even faster- damnit! Aurora, kiddo, are you alright? If you need to throw up that's okay, I've got ya," Rhodo consoled me as he brought over a trash bin for me to heave into.

It was quickly filled with vomit.

After I pulled my head back up, I looked at him, swaying from side to side slightly. I squinted again. "{Why're there six 'f you…?}"

"Her speech is becoming slurred and I don't think she's gonna be able to keep anything down in this state. Replace this for me," Rhodo handed the bin to Jean who swapped out the full bag for a new one. Rhodo took out a glass tube of his own and held my arm. "From my experience, Merciless Toxapex antivenom should be able to lessen the effects drastically."

He inserted the vial into me quickly before I heaved again into the bin. My stomach empty, I began dry retching. "Jean, got any experience with this type of poison? I'm just shootin' in the dark here," Rhodo spoke hastily as he began hooking me up to something he called an IV bag.

She shook her head. "I don't even know what kind it is, much less how to help. And I doubt barging into Jupiter's office to figure out what cocktail of misery this is would do anything."

"She'd prolly make it worse…" He muttered to himself. "The IV has antidotal properties, so that'll help a bit, but I don't think we can cure any of the immediate effects…" He turned to Mama with a serious expression. "Know any moves that can help here?"

She nodded, but pointed to the collar around her neck with a tail. {I am not exactly in an unburdened, prime condition at the moment.}

"I figure she knows Safeguard, but with her injury and the collar… I dunno how helpful it'd be," Jean muttered. She suddenly tensed, looking like she was going to run off before stopping herself. "They definitely wouldn't loosen it now, and I don't have clearance to do it myself." Even super messed up, I could feel her fury.

Rhodo groaned loudly. "Safeguard is more preventative rather than curative, so it wouldn't be worth the trouble anyway… but I also don't want to load her up with too many different drugs since that might just make everything worse…"

Rhodo grabbed a napkin and began wiping my mouth while I kept retching. My chest felt like it was going to explode from all the dry heaving and the pain was staggering. Tears flooded my eyes as it felt like my body was destroying itself.

"Aurora, are you feeling better now that you got the medicine? Feeling a little less dizzy?" He tried to sound comforting, but the panic in his heart was palpable enough that even my headache couldn't hide it.

I looked up at him. I really didn't feel like talking, but I held up four fingers and blew a raspberry.

"I think she sees four of us now," Jean guessed correctly.

"I've got no idea what the hell kind of poison they injected into her, but a child of her stature would likely be in an even worse state right now, so I think the medicine is working since she got immediate help…" Rhodo muttered. "Can you prepare a cup of pecha lum berry tea please? For when she can stomach it."

"Of course," Jean quickly replied. "Indra, mind helping me find the best ones?"

Indra gave an affirmative grumble, gave me a worried look and followed after Jean into the other room.

Sighing deeply, Rhodo grabbed one of the devices from the cabinet and tried getting it to work in a rush. After a few seconds he pointed it towards me and a beam of light spread across my body. He muttered to himself a bit as he said a bunch of complicated words as he began altering the IV again. While he was doing that Jean and Indra came back with the tea.

"According to the system, she seems to be getting better. It recommended I add a few other drugs to stabilize her system and it's actually working…" Rhodo noted as he held up the machine. "I… I think we're in the clear for now. The hard part is almost over, Aurora."

"{But the bed is soft…}" I murmured. Mama just kept me close to her, nuzzling me gently.

{It is alright, my child. You will be fine.}

Rhodo sat down on the bed across from us and sighed. "She just needs to relax for a bit and she should be fine. Hopefully the medicine works wonders and she doesn't have any lasting effects."

Jean nodded, looking at Rhodo. "I'm still being called out for stuff, but if I can do anything, I'm a ping away. Alright?"

He nodded. "We should be good now. Do what ya gotta do."

She nodded, breathing a small sigh of relief before she and Indra both gave me tiny Rhodo smiles. "Feel better. Just rest up, it's all you need to do now."

I gave a weak nod and waved as they left. There was a long silence between us all. Rhodo was just staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression while I curled up with Mama. He closed his eyes a second before inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"Have you ever heard of the story My Friend Komala, Aurora? Do you know what a komala is first of all?" He spoke suddenly.

Mama looked at him for a moment while I shook my head. It still hurt, but I could pay more attention to words when I kept my face in Mama's tails.

"They're little gray bears, they sort of look like Bewear. They are pokemon that live their whole lives asleep, clinging to the log their parents gave them like a pillow. They're not all that common or very active, but they're mellow little buddies," He continued. "My Friend Komala is about a Bewear and his Komala buddy. Two peas in a pod, they were inseparable. No one understood why Bewear hung out with Komala. All he did was eat, sleep and hold onto his fur."

Rhodo sighed again.

"Whenever all the pokemon came together to play Komala would just hold onto Bewear the whole time. Every single time. No matter the game. Everyone always asked why they even bothered. Why bother bringing them around if all they do is sleep? It was a good question, and one day Bewear finally answered."

Rhodo smiled to himself.

"Bewear loved hugs more than anything, but no one was brave enough to hug him back. So Komala, a long time ago, when Bewear was feeling down, put down his prized log and clung out to Bewear. When a Komala lets go of their log to hug you, that means they trust you more than anyone. So wherever he went Bewear was always being hugged by his best friend and brought him to all sorts of fun places."

Rhodo hummed.

"Even though he was asleep, Komala cherished the time they had together. His way of showing affection was different than the other pokemon, but it was just as valid."

Rhodo opened his eyes and stared at me. "Did you get the message in the story?"

I thought for a moment. "{Hug people an' make them happy?}"

He stroked his beard in thought. "Yeah that's part of it. The gist is everyone has their own way of showing affection, and as long as the message is received and the friendship is genuine uhhh… I dunno. I think I butchered the story anyway. Did ya like it?"

I nodded. "{Hugs are nice and so is sleep…}" I trailed off, wavering somewhat.

"They absolutely are… you rest up. I'll check up on you two later. Rest up, kiddo," Rhodo smiled at me.

I smiled back at him wearily as Mama nudged my head into a more comfortable position in her tails. {Rest, my child. I am here for you.}

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Lurina 8th~~

After being poisoned (Mama said being intoxicated meant a different thing when I said it the first time) I didn't really sleep so much as drift in and out of consciousness. I'd feel a little warmer or colder sometimes, but my inner flame and Mama helped make sure that I was fine. Everything else was painful, but I was too worn out to really process it in totality.

I was feeling well enough to go back to everyone else, and Rhodo sent me back with a bunch of Pecha berry muffins. A couple people had come by throughout the day, to get checked up by him and then comfort me, but that was mostly it.

Eclipse in particular wanted to snap Eloise's neck, and while Koko chewed her out for cursing, everyone understood why. I couldn't even really bring myself to feel like it shouldn't happen. A part of me was worried I didn't feel bad, but watching more people get beat up and the sinking in my heart got rid of that thought really fast.

It was the next day when that little bit of hope got bolstered some more.

I was resting with Hazel, Vivian and Mama. I felt way better than yesterday, but I was still coughing and feeling dizzy from the poison. We were talking, Guinevere and Chestnut having come over to make sure we were alright, when Leanne and Yvonne came over.

"Aurora? Ivane? Is it alright if you could come with us? Paris knows something that might be able to help you feel better."

Their faces were neutral. Deliberately neutral. And along with feeling how they were both on edge but in a new way, they didn't sound like they were telling us everything. Me and Mama looked at each other.

Guinevere then gently stroked my back while smiling at the both of us, a knowing look across her face. "It's alright, it'll do us all good to see you improving."

While she also felt like she wasn't saying everything, both of them and Chestnut nodding in the background affirmed that whatever it was? We should go.

Hazel and Vivian didn't know what was going on, but they smiled. "We'll make sure your muffins are still here for you when you get back!"

{No matter how much Ron might want them,} Vivian joked.

We smiled, and I got on Mama. I was still too woozy to walk super well, so she carried me over. She limped a little on the way because of her leg, but before I could ask if she was okay she just gave me a warm look and kept a few more of her tails around me.

She wants me to know she's okay. Even though she's also kinda not…

I was expecting to see Paris and Legolas waiting. But there was also Clive and Elpis, along with two new people. One of them was a Hybrid around Eclipse's age with a torn up coat and pants, both of which had lots of pockets. He had yellow eyes and slightly orange cheeks, along with dark blue hair. His hands were both black, not like what Benny and Mabel looked like. Like when I closed my eyes kinda black. He looked worse for wear, but still had a small smirk on his face. He waved a hello when we came over.

Right next to him was a Croagunk, with the same kinda yellow eyes and much more orange cheeks. He had a few scars on him and looked a little more intimidating, but I felt he was nice. He was happy we were able to come over too.

"Thank you for coming over Ivane, Aurora," Paris said calmly. Legolas inclined his head a bit before he gestured with a wing towards the new duo.

{These two are Lyle and Alkali,} he then gestured back to us, {This is Ivane and Aurora.}

Lyle held out a hand. "Nice to meetcha. Glad you're holding up okay."

I looked at his hand, furrowed my brow and looked up at him confused. He raised an eyebrow until Mama nudged me gently. {Shaking each others' hands is a common greeting among those with hands.}

"{Oooooh,}" I whispered before taking his hand and moving my arm up and down.

Lyle chuckled and shook his head. "No, like this." He moved his wrist more while shaking my hand, and there was a lot less movement.

After we were done, I shook hands with Alkali. He gave a smirk in response. {Glad to see you're getting better. Not everyone can take that toxin.}

Mama then looked at Paris and Legolas. {You asked us to come here in order to help us. Correct?} She felt like she was being more careful with her words than usual.

Why's everyone talking weird all of a sudden?

Elpis shifted a bit, moving over slightly. I felt like I shouldn't look, so I didn't. But I felt like it was where Paris had said some cameras were pointing from. Clive casually tapped the leg of a bed twice with his foot, and Legolas pulled out a bunch of plastic containers and the thermoses Rhodo had given us.

Paris sat down, taking a couple containers. "I have enough knowledge of toxins to help Aurora recover slightly quicker. Would you like Mabel and Haley to check if your flame capabilities are healing properly?"

Mama's eyes darted quickly across all of the containers, her mind racing. Her heart beat a little faster until her eyes widened a tiny bit, and she nodded. {Please do. It would be helpful.}

Paris felt ever so slightly relieved as she turned her head. "Mabel, Haley? Can you come make sure Ivane is healing alright?"

"Of course! One moment," they said, walking over. They'd responded quicker than people would if they hadn't been expecting something to happen. Haley sat next to Elpis while Mabel sat with Paris, and Haley took out some gloves from her egg pouch. Mabel put them on and took a container and a thermos.

They then looked at Mama. "Can you produce a steady flame?"

What's even going on? It feels like something big's happening, and it's with containers Rhodo gave us? Wha?

Mama meanwhile just nodded, blowing out a steady stream of flames. Several seconds passed, the containers beginning to go from clear to a more reddish-orange. Once that happened, Mabel quickly began forming one longer tube out of the plastic. After they'd made it, they looked at Mama. "Good, good. Can you make a hotter, more concentrated one?"

The flames Mama blew out turned slightly blue, covering less of the tube and turning the middle bit closer to white. Mabel quickly broke the tube in two, handing one to Paris who put on her own gloves. They smiled. "Perfect. Can you keep up the steady stream again?"

While Mama did that, Mabel and Paris were quickly shaping the plastic into different shapes. Mabel was making three long strips of it, while Paris molded it into a long, thin strip that had indents in a curved side connected to a tube.

Mabel gave Mama a smile. "That's all. You seem to be healing well."

Mama nodded, watching what they were doing along with me. Mabel handed the thin rods of plastic to Paris, who pulled out some metal… things from the thermos. Three were little metal triangles, and another was much thinner and longer. A lot like the thin part of the plastic thing she was making.

As the plastic faded from orange to red, she stuck the triangular things on the end of the rods with the tips facing out. After making sure they were firmly on, she put the curved, thin strip of metal in the curved part of the other plastic thing. She quickly molded it so while most of it was exposed, there were little strips of plastic that held it in place.

When she was done, she felt satisfied while everyone else was both nervous and excited. Even Mama. I didn't know why, but I knew that they now had a plastic thingy with metal at the edge of it and a handle. It looked a little like the things Sue pulled out of her front legs. The others were three long strips of plastic with metal triangles and three of Legolas' smaller feathers at the other end.

Haley then looked to Lyle and Alkali. {Isn't it about time for you two to go shower?}

Lyle nodded, Alkali chuckling to himself. "Sure is. C'mon, let's go get clean."

Right as they were leaving, Paris handed the objects to Lyle, who hid them in his coat while pretending to adjust it. They walked into the bathing area, and as soon as they passed the doorway? It felt like everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief without actually breathing any sighs.

Everyone except me. I was still confused.

Mama noticed and smiled, curling me into her tails to hide us from everyone else. The only thing I could see was her, and she had her head facing inwards.

{We must be quiet, but ask what you need to, Aurora,} she whispered softly.

This has gotta be really important.

"{Why did they make plastic thingies, and put metal on the plastic thingies?}" I whispered back.

Her expression grew more gleeful, defiance burning in her heart. {They are making weapons, my child. A knife and three arrows, to be precise.}

I didn't know a ton about weapons. I'd heard some Grunts call us living weapons, and Sue called the things she pulled out weapons. Owain said he had fake weapons in his plays, and the group of people at night trying to plan an escape being sad they didn't have any. Weapons seemed to be a whole lotta things, but there were two things I definitely knew about them.

They were for hurting people, and Galactic didn't want us to have them.

I nodded in understanding, and Mama uncurled her tails. Mabel gave us a concerned look that felt more anxious than scared. "Is everything alright? We couldn't hear what you were saying."

Mama nodded at them. {Everything is alright. My child was simply curious about your methods of checking on my flame. That is all.}

They nodded, Paris' gaze turning to me. She felt serious, yet gentle. "When you are feeling better, it would put all our minds at ease if we could check on your flame from time to time. Alongside your mother's, of course."

She wants me to help make weapons so everyone can get out, doesn't she? I can do something to help!

I nodded, being careful to not make the world start spinning. Everyone was being super careful with their words, so I didn't wanna say something bad. They all got the idea though, and Paris smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. For now, you both should just rest. You need to keep your strength up."

And rest we did. The serious stuff was over, so we all stayed together and spent time with one another. Clive and Elpis were totally happy to swap adventure stories with Mabel, Benny, Haley and Bors. We were happy to listen. Eventually we went back over to Hazel and Vivian, who'd apparently been told something of what was going on.

When I went to sleep that night, there was a smile on my face and a thought in my head.

We're gonna get out, and we're gonna beat the shit outta Galactic on the way.

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Radinam 12th~~

A few days later, me and Mama had to go fight again. The effects of the poison were pretty much gone, so of course they wanted us to do more things. This time though, two other people were supposed to fight with us. Not Hazel and Vivian though, two adults. Arvis was a Hybrid with big, poofy off-white hair with a couple green curls on either side of his head. He had orange eyes and was wearing a lot of brown stuff. A brown sweater, lighter brown kinda baggy pants and reddish brown shoes that were probably really nice a month ago. He used to wear a watch, but Galactic took it from him.

His partner was Mango, who had poofy curly hair bigger than his brown body. It was the same kinda off-white with green curls around the side of his head. He bounced around a lot, almost floating from place to place. Apparently he was a Whimsicott, which sounded pretty.

Galactic definitely didn't care much about either of them though, since we were up against more kid Pokemon. Nini, a Venipede, was a lot like Spiri, since he didn't like complicated names. He was purple and green in the middle and had yellow eyes, with sharp purple antennae on his head and butt. He had some black markings here and there, and didn't talk a lot. He just didn't wanna make the people feeding him mad.

Kutsa, a Joltik, meanwhile was small. Really small. She could easily hold onto my arm and I'd barely feel a thing. She was covered in yellow fur, with little blue feet on her four legs and four blue eyes. She was more excited to meet new people than anything. Whatever we were gonna do, she wanted in on it. She just wanted to have fun.

Which we maybe could've had, if it wasn't for-

"Is speaking english really so hard for you? Everyone else can do it just fine, quit babbling incoherently and speak already."

A Galactic admin, Saturn, was in the same place Bronco was. He had deep blue hair that spiked up on either side, like wimpy horns. He had the same kinda gray and black outfit as everyone else, with the same yellow G on his chest. Striped black pants, a gray vest and a black striped shirt underneath. And he hated me not speaking human all the time.

Kutsa and Nini stopped in their tracks when he spoke, unsure if they were to wait until I spoke or not. Arvis meanwhile stopped and looked up at him. "C'mon, give her a break. She's just a kid."

"It's been weeks and she hasn't managed a single coherent sentence. Does her intelligence only apply on the battlefield and not speech?" He growled. "Children are adaptable, yes? Well, why can't I understand a single goddamn sentence she says? I've seen no progress at all."

"Sir, we aren't testing lingual-" Bronco began, but he was silenced by Saturn's mere side-eye.

"Come now, Bronco, if she's here might as well. This fight isn't providing particularly valuable data anyway. The Whimsicott and #048 are more useless than #001 and the crippled fox. If they cannot put up a good showing against some insects, then their future is bleak enough. Let's focus on the one with potential, yes?"

His voice was slicker and slimier than a Wooper's mucus. It made my skin crawl just by listening to him talk about Arvis and Mango like that. Bronco looked like he wanted to say more, but held his tongue. Saturn looked like he was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a fireball impacting the glass between us and him.
He looked down at me. Flames were trailing off of me, and all of my fur was straight on end as small crackles of flame surrounded me. "{They're better people than you could ever be! You're just being an ass! And they're not just insects, they're my friends!}"

His sneer was clear as the sound of Spinel's heels. I wasn't speaking full English still, and I didn't know how. But I knew saying something over and over kinda worked to get my point across.

My throat's probably gonna hurt more after this, but I gotta tell him.

I took a deep breath, cupped my hands around my mouth, and yelled. "{You're a bitch you're a bitch you're a bitch you're a bitch you're a bitch you're a bit-}" I was cut short as I started coughing, Mama coming over and curling her tails around me.

{Easy, my child.} Even so, I felt some pride from her.

Saturn's face had shifted from confusion to clear anger. His mad grin grew wider, but his left eye was twitching madly.

"Ha ha ha… be careful what you wish for Bronco. Just as I requested, with enough repetition she began speaking in perfect English. Now if only she had said something less detrimental to her health," He sneered as he turned towards Bronco. "Like I said, this battle is producing nothing substantial. While I won't go so far as sending out a Rhyperior, I think I know a pokemon that will push her limits to a rewarding degree and ingrain a proper amount of psychological torment. Venipede will be pleased to see its father take the field. Send out Scolipede. Now."

Bronco bowed dutifully as he pulled out a Net Ball, according to Mama, and released the pokemon inside. And they were huge. He towered above us all, and probably even people like Vika and Proton would've been much smaller. Suddenly the flames around me were the only thing illuminating me and Mama as his shadow enveloped the both of us.

He had the same purple shell as Nini did, but without any of the green middle part. His underbelly was pitch black, and darker purple rings dotted the side of his purple shell. What was scarier though was that both his head and butt horns were almost as long as I was tall. His leg-hand-thingies wriggled as he surveyed the arena, and judging by the look on his face and scars on his shell? He was pissed.

Nini looked up at Scolipede with a different feeling than the other pokemon who met their parents. He felt… afraid. Scolipede surveyed the area till his eyes landed on Nini.

{Spawn… you're still alive.} His voice was hard to understand. There were lots of clicking sounds mixed in.

Nini looked down at the ground. {Father. I fight for food. I grow big soon.}

{Sooner than later, I hope,} He muttered forebodingly before his eyes fell on us, but lingered on Mango. {Whimsicott… hmmm.}

A shudder ran down my spine. His words scuttled down my back. Something in me was screaming that I needed to make sure not just me, Mama, Arvis and Mango made it out okay. But Nini and Kutsa too. Me and Mama looked at each other before we nodded, her getting in front of Arvis and Mango while I ran over to Nini and Kutsa, who was hiding behind him. Nini's dad hadn't seen her yet.

"{Kutsa, quick! Please!}" I pleaded frantically, picking up Nini gently. She hopped into my shirt. It felt a little weird, but not too bad. Before I ran off, I quickly looked up at Scolipede. Dojima's advice echoed in my mind. Don't take your eyes off your opponent.

His glare intensified as his many legs began to circle us. The slight movements Kutsa made on my back were nothing compared to how the crawling sounds of his legs made me feel. I quickly surrounded us all in a Protect bubble, then started running to make it spin and get us away from him. A bright glow began shining from Mama's mouth as flames gathered.

"Don't kill the girl and the Ninetales. We need them for future endeavors. Everyone else is fair game!" Saturn called out.

That was all the instruction Scolipede needed as he began skittering towards us, way faster than I had expected with his horns coated in a hissing toxin. I yelped and curled into a ball with Nini, careful to not prick myself on his horns as the Protect bubble took the blow. It didn't crack at all, but it did send us bouncing around. It didn't hurt for whatever reason, and sorta kept me suspended in the middle of it. I had to hold onto Nini though, and I could feel Kutsa was holding on herself.

I looked around to see a huge cone of flames roaring towards Scolipede, crackling hungrily. He waved his horns to counter the flames before he smashed the ground and sent rubble flying everywhere. An earthquake. Mama was able to dodge it okay, and Mango was able to float a bit. Arvis meanwhile was doing his best to hop around, dodging all the rocks and dirt. It… wasn't working out the greatest for him.

Okay uhhh I definitely can't keep Nini and Kutsa safe on the ground if he can do that, and Mama can't make a big snow thingy like she did before. There's gotta be a way to keep them safe!

While Mama pelted Scolipede with fireballs, I dispelled the Protect bubble and made another one under me high up in the air. The arena had a ceiling, so I couldn't just get out with them, but it was higher than Scolipede was tall.

I held out a hand, scrunching my face up while I tried to focus. Trying to make an ice platform for them to stay on, out of the way. After a couple seconds I managed a little ice bowl thingy, just big enough for Nini. I put him gently in it and looked at my back. "{Kutsa, can you stay with him? I wanna make sure you're both safe…}"

Kutsa crawled out from my shirt and sat with Nini. {Okay. I stay with Nini. We protect each other.}

{Father strong and scary. Eat you up,} Nini warned me, in his own way.

I hugged them both. "{Stay safe. I'll do my best with Mama!}"

Once that was done, I jumped back down, got rid of the Protect bubble I was using to stand and ran over to help Arvis up. Ice didn't work against rocks at all for a shield, but I could at least help him run around. Even though my lungs were starting to burn and my heart was thumping against my chest.

Not the time! Pain later, saving him now!

While I was pulling him away, he felt… guilty. "Sorry I'm such a liability here…"

Mango floated over. {You're not! They're just being cruel.}

I nodded. "{We all gotta help each other! They're being meanie fucks and we can't let them win!}"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah… yeah."

We all looked over to see Mama forcing Scolipede to focus on her. Every time he tried to close the distance, Mama would spew fire and he'd have to scurry away or throw mud everywhere. When he did, she'd change position and send more fire to block his path.

After going back and forth for a bit, he started changing his strategy and began throwing spikes around where she stood. Every so often she'd have to shoot fire at the ground trying to burn them away before she stepped in them. Which gave him enough time to start getting closer than he had before with his poisonous horns.

I won't let you hurt Mama!

I let go of Arvis' hand, spinning on my heel and sprinting to and up the wall. He was too distracted by Mama to notice me, and I could feel he thought she was the only real threat there.

Which is exactly why me coming in with a condensed firebomb and blowing it up in his face caught him totally off guard.

The blast sent me flying back, and I flipped a little so I could land on my feet next to Mama. She gave me a quick glance. {Are you alright, my child?}

I nodded, breathing as best I could. "{I'm… I'm okay!}"

Her eyes narrowed as she nodded, glaring back at Scolipede. My firebomb had knocked him off course and into some flames. He had managed to stamp them out before they consumed him, but his carapace was blackened from ash and charred in places. Unlike Rhyperior, he didn't just shrug off the pain, instead he began rubbing his face into the dirt frantically before he let loose an ear piercing screech. All the clicking sounds he had made before combined into one, multiplied.

Mama covered her ears with her tails, but I couldn't really do that. My ears rang as everything else became muted, the main thing I could hear being the head splitting sound. My head pounded as I covered my ears with my hands, trying to block out the sound and get my bearings.

Mama was able to get off some fireballs towards him, which I could tell from the glow of the flames more than the actual sound, but it still clearly had messed with her.

Scolipede ceased flailing about shrieking and began stampeding towards us. Mama and I tried to dodge, but he stepped inward and began whirling his entire body like a top to strike us both before we could escape. The poisonous horns on his head and butt slammed us to opposite sides of the arena.

I was barely able to register what was happening, only just pulling my arms in front of my face. Plus side, his horns didn't gouge out my eyes. Downside, they did leave a huge gash in my arms. I tensed up in pain, the familiar feeling of poison beginning to twinge from my arm as blood mixed with venom. I tried to put it out of my mind so I could help out somehow, in spite of being slammed against the arena wall.

That's when I noticed Scolipede was completely ignoring us. Instead he was charging straight towards Arvis and Mango. With the same feeling he had when he saw Mango earlier.

Mango stepped forward and launched a shining orb of pale pink light, but Scolipede pierced through it like it was nothing. Mango felt anxious, fearful and worried, but he stood in front of Arvis adamantly. He prepared another attack, until Arvis lifted him up and tossed him into the air.

No!

I could see Mama trying to get up in the corner of my eye, but her leg wasn't making it easy. And as much as it felt like my arms were going to melt off, I couldn't let more people get hurt. Not if I could do anything.

The pain faded slightly as I sprinted forwards, a white light enveloping me and letting me overtake Scolipede. I skidded to a stop in front of Arvis and barely managed to make a Protect bubble around me, though this time it cracked when he impacted. Even though he didn't hit me, I felt a recoil in my chest and stumbled back, coughing while trying to breathe. My vision began to blur and swirl.

Just as Scolipede was about to slam down on the bubble, a pink gust of wind blustered into him from behind. It didn't so much hurt him as anger him even more. I looked up to see Mango was still up in the air, sending the pink winds at Scolipede who roared furiously in return.

As I watched, I felt my body lurch as Arvis hoisted me into his arms and began running towards Mama. The Protect vanished as soon as he moved me, while he made the mad dash over to her.

"You're going to be okay. He's going into a frenzy, your Ma can use that to her advantage," He comforted me as we ran. "You're certainly a brave one though. Thanks for the save, Aurora."

His compliment brought a weak smile to my face. I wanted to respond. Then I saw Mango careening out of the air, cotton trailing behind him with several poison needles in his body.

"{M-Mango!}" I coughed in alarm. Arvis looked back for only a second, but that was all Scolipede needed. That moment of pause.

Scolipede, spinning like a wheel glowing with stone energy, crashed into Arvis. I could feel Arvis instinctively take the brunt of the attack as he tossed me closer to Mama as best he could. My hearing was still messed up, but the distinct crack sound his bones made was all too familiar. His body flew through the air before crashing into the ground. I rolled on the ground a couple times, landing on my back.

"{A-Arvis… no…}" I weakly muttered. I tried to lift my body, but the poison felt like it was melting my arms in two. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth, trying to gather strength when I felt something acidic fall onto my skin.

I looked up to see Scolipede glaring down at me. His face was still charred from my fire bomb, but it didn't stop him from salivating all over my face. I froze as the poison fell from his hissing mandibles onto my face, slowly dissolving my body. His eyes were battling between reason and instinct. He was mad and starving.

And he didn't care what, or who, he ate.

His mouth didn't have spiky teeth like Paul had had. It looked way better at eating flesh. Along with the serrated mandibles and hooklike mouth, pointed, bony arms twitched at the sides, each as long as my arm. They looked oh so ready to make sure I didn't have arms next time I woke up.

My heart raced as a flash of terror rushed through me. It quickly went from a single point to a gyrating vortex, flames and frost surrounding me as the world went white. I screamed.

And then, nothing.

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Radinam 12th~~

My head was pounding the next time I woke up. Another jolt of fear shot through me as my eyes snapped open, sharply inhaling. Instead of the swirling, black and purple void around me that I feared, I saw a familiar ceiling. One that Rhodo had decorated with little pictures of baby Pokemon, around the gently humming lights.

I exhaled, shutting my eyes immediately. The light hurt. And the sounds were way louder than usual. My arms felt bandaged, and my face a little as well. But at least I wasn't about to be face slammed.

{Aurora…?} Mama gently asked. {Are you awake?}

"{Mmhmm…}" I murmured weakly.

{Can I do anything to help?}

"{Light 'n sound hurts…}"

{Do not worry, my child.} she said softly. She pulled over some extra towels on the side of the bed and laid them over my ears, then covered me in her tails. The lights became much dimmer, and the headache got a little better.

"Rise and shine, kiddo," said a familiar voice. I looked up to see Rhodo smiling at me holding a tray. "You hungry? I made some food for ya."

I winced a little, and Mama gestured to my ears with her tail, before raising a paw, holding it there, and lowering it again. His face went from confusion to understanding quickly as he began to speak softer.

"Sorry… the volume wasn't as bad on the monitor. I'll try and find some earmuffs for her…" He squinted at my ears for a moment. "I wonder if Galactic even has any for fox ears…"

Probably not. Galactic don't like having things that help people.

Seeing Rhodo was nice. Being in tons of pain every time I woke up in his office, not so much. I watched as he laid the tray down on the bedside table. It was a bowl of mush filled with cut up fruit, mainly pecha berries from what I could smell. It looked vaguely like gruel, but smelled nothing like it. Although the memory of Scolipede's stench and toxins nearly sent me reeling again.

"This is called oatmeal. I know what it looks like, but trust me it's amazing for breakfast. I added lots of fruits to sweeten it too," He said in a hushed tone.

"{D' I still have arms an' a face…?}" I asked quietly.

"All your limbs are attached and we fixed your face right up with some Maractus fruit cream. It won't even scar," He said gently.

I nodded slowly, making sure to keep the towels over my ears. "{Are they okay…?}"

He hesitated a millisecond. "Everyone survived. No one died."

That's really ominous. And bad. It sounds bad.

Mama gave him a look.

"The friends you protected and Scolipede were all recalled. Mango will also be okay. Arvis is still unconscious, but he's healing," He elaborated.

"{In a tank thingy…?}" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I was able to get Saturn to authorize it. They'll prolly end it before he's ready, but he'll get better treatment there than anything I could do."

{And it's your fault,} a new voice spoke up. A few cots over I finally noticed what I thought was a giant pillow was in fact Mango. On the cot he was sitting in a pot of dirt underneath a sun lamp. He looked beaten up, tired, but I could feel so much pain in his heart. And it was directed towards me. But also kinda not? He just felt… really mad. And sad.

He clumsily floated over to the cot next to us. Most of his cotton was gone.

"Mango…" Rhodo said cautiously. He could sense something wrong.

{You don't remember pelting Arvis' body with ice and setting his broken body on fire?} He bluntly stated, his anger nearly seeping out the gashes that'd only been recently bandaged.

I curled into a ball a little, Mama glaring at him. My ears hurt from him talking too loud, but I didn't wanna tell him to stop. "{No…}" I said quietly.

{It is an involuntary response that she passes out during. At no point was it intentional,} Mama retorted in a dangerously low tone.

Rhodo eyed him in concern. "Mango, please you shouldn't be moving so much."

{Her panic attack hurt my partner. She could've fought back with her fire. If she had waited a second longer you would've blasted that bastard off her. But you lost control and others got hurt in the crossfire. Do you wanna know what happened to Arvis exactly?} His tone was beginning to scare me. And his voice was getting louder, making my head ring more.

Tears began welling in my eyes as Mama curled her tails around me more. "{Mmhmm…}"

His emotions grew more tempestuous at my response. Mama raised an eyebrow.

{When Scolipede crashed into him, he slashed his back and broke his left arm trying to save your life. Now that he's part Whimsicott, he's even weaker to poison now, which is why I tried with all my might to make sure those toxins didn't get into him, but they did!} He shouted, his eyes watering a bit. It was getting hard for me to hear anything else.

{Then when Scolipede was about to attack you, you started glowing and then fire and ice flew everywhere and it hit my partner! Rhodo said he's got burns and frostbite now and he isn't recovering easily! The poison in his system and broken body is making sure of that…}

His voice was strained. {All I could do was watch… I tried so hard… if I was just a bit faster it could've been okay. He should be here with me…} Tears were welling up and falling around Mango's eyes.

Mama's hackles lowered slowly while tears were streaming down my face. "{I-I'm sorry…}" I choked out.

{Y-you…} Mango stammered over his words as he looked down in rage, tears streaming down his face. {No… what am I doing!?}

Mama simply glared at him. {Berating a child for an involuntary response, and pushing blame she doesn't deserve onto her,} she said coldly.

Mama's words pierced his heart as he gazed at her and then me. We locked eyes for a moment, and I could feel all the pain, the guilt crashing down on him. Mango began crying intensely, pulling at what little cotton he had left. It was weak and frayed so it easily came off in wispy, sad clumps. Rhodo rushed over to restrain him, hugging him close to his chest so he didn't pull out anymore. Rubbing his back and letting him cry into his chest.

"I got you, I've got you. Just let it out on me, Mango. Take your anger out on me," Rhodo spoke adamantly as Mango bashed his little arms on Rhodo's chest in blind rage. Rhodo's own face was grave; this wasn't the first time he's had to do this and it won't be the last.

Mama meanwhile raised my head a little with one of her tails, pressing her forehead against mine. {My child. Remember. You are not to blame. Nothing that happens here is your fault. You did not choose this. Humans forced this upon you. No one can blame you for reaching a breaking point.}

"{Even if it hurts people…?}" I sobbed quietly.

She glared a moment at Mango before sighing. {Even if it hurts people.}

Mango had begun to calm down when Rhodo turned to us. "He's just upset about Arvis. I'm sorry he let it out on you guys. You saved lives, Aurora; no one died today and Arvis will make it. I'll make sure of it."

But even still, I couldn't keep them safe…

Mama looked at me, at Rhodo and Mango and nuzzled me gently. {If you can stomach it, eat, my child. It will help.}

I just nodded as Mama grabbed the tray in her jaws before Rhodo gently took it. "I have hands, I can help with this," he joked halfheartedly. He gave the tray to me and I began eating slowly, often turning to Mama and crying into her while Rhodo carried Mango back to his cot.

Rhodo spoke up as he laid Mango to rest in the pot. "The ummm… Venipede and Joltik you saved. When they saw you explode, they didn't hesitate to jump in and attack Scolipede right after. You're a genuine and brave person, who inspires people to do more in life. We could all stand to learn from your example, actually. So don't let anyone tell you you're not a good person. Because if you change to meet their standards… you'll only hate yourself more."

As Rhodo left for a minute, I stopped eating and looked at my arms. Where I'd barely managed to protect my face from being melted more than it was from toxic saliva.

What could I have done differently? Was there anything? Nini and Kutsa were okay, so that's good, but… Arvis got super injured and I'm part of why. So did Mango… I don't know how to not explode. I don't know about weapons or how to speak one language consistently or lots of words, or what outside is like… Wouldn't changing those be a good thing?

{What is it, my child?} Mama asked softly.

"{I-is change… really that bad…?}" I hesitantly asked.

She tilted her head. {What do you mean?}

"{Everyone keeps telling me not to change for other people. Is…}" It took me a minute to find the words. Mama waited patiently the whole time. "{Is change really such a bad thing…?}"

Mama shook her head slowly. {They do not mean that change is bad. Just that change in this specific scenario would likely be for the worse.}

My ears tilted a little in confusion. "{But they keep saying don't change…?}"

She took a couple seconds to gather her thoughts before responding. {Change is often informed by the circumstances we are in. If good things are happening, it's easier for a good change to happen for people. If bad things are happening, bad changes are easier. Right now is very, very bad. Even good people like Mango might do things that are bad, and then feel really bad for them later.}

I blinked. "{Why do they do them then?}"

{It is their version of exploding, my child,} she explained. {You let your emotions out. Most people bottle them up inside, and they come out in bad ways sometimes. They might be scared. They might not know how to process those emotions, and need help they don't have right then. They might not even know they're bottling those emotions up at all.}

She gently put a paw on my chest, over my heart. {But those emotions don't go away. They all go right here. They get stronger and more chaotic. And, often without the person even realizing, those emotions change them.} She put a paw on my cheek. {No one is trying to tell you to stay the same forever. What they don't want is for you to change to be more like this place. You're brave, smart, determined and most importantly? You're kind. Galactic isn't. And they want you to be you, not them.}

So I was right before… if Galactic wants something, it's bad. And I can do good things by doing what they don't want. It's not that everybody wants me to be like I am now forever, it's that they don't want me to be like Galactic.

A small smile crossed my face. "{I didn't wanna do what Galactic wanted anyway. They're meanie poopoo bitch faces.}"

Mama smiled in return. {Indeed they are, my child.}

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Noxal 14th~~

The next day, we were okay enough to go back to everyone else. Rhodo mentioned that I seemed to be getting better really well, which he was glad about. My throat didn't really feel any better yet, but hopefully it would. Arvis and Mango were still recovering, since it was harder for Mango to grow his cotton back without the sun around. I didn't know what the sun had to do with it, but apparently it's really important for grass types.

When Eclipse found out what Mango had said, she almost flipped a bed over. It took a minute to calm her down and me telling her I didn't want her to punch him, it was okay, for her to not want to throw him against a wall. Rhodo made sure we got muffins, and I noticed Paris, Legolas, Clive and Elpis doing a similar thing to when they asked us over. We weren't just gonna sit there and let Galactic do what they wanted.

I was resting with Mama, Hazel and Vivian like always. We'd spent time talking together and trying to help each other stay okay as best we could. Hazel would tell me about the outside world, and things she'd heard about legendary Pokemon. She never said who told her them, but me and Mama knew. We didn't press. It was nice, especially when Mama would talk more about some she knew a bit better.

Eclipse and Koko were with us as well. Eclipse would sometimes get called in to fight things, which was different from everyone else because she got really mad. The other Hybrids were stronger, but Eclipse had less of an issue punching people in the face. Koko often got brought in with her, and every time their opponent would have to go through her first. Lucia and Arden were helping teach her some hand to hand combat too, instead of just punching.

Koko meanwhile often came by with Ron and Rush, and we'd talk about fun stuff together. She always managed to help us smile, despite everything. And when she was sad or scared, Ron or Rush could help. None of us really knew what was gonna happen the next day, or if we were even gonna be alive. But we did our best to make the time we had together nice.

Leanne and Yvonne were always close by too, and they were doing… okay? Sometimes Leanne's heart would start to race, and she'd stay close to me for a while. They'd always come to see me whenever I was in Rhodo's office thingy, to stay with me a little while. Razin and Urie were gone, and she wanted to make sure I was still there sometimes. I could tell it was hard for her, but she helped us out a ton anyway.

We all looked over when the door opened again. Jean and Indra were there, but instead of calling anyone over? They were holding some kinda weird box, with a glowy smaller box on the back of it. It was smaller than a pillow, so Jean had it tucked under one arm while she walked in and waved. I could feel that everyone was on edge, though a lot of people felt more confused and curious than anything.

"Sorry to come in unannounced, but I brought something that might lighten the mood a little bit," she said with a small smile. "Give me a minute to set it up."

"What is that," Hazel asked quietly. "Is it safe?"

"{She feels calm…?}" I replied, while a smile spread on Mama's face.

{You know what that is?} Vivian said while looking up at her.

Mama nodded, feeling very calm. {It is nothing you need to fear. It cannot hurt you.}

As Jean pressed a couple buttons, the screen on the wall lit up. But instead of something horrific happening, the screen lit up a dull white. Not a super messed up one or anything, just. One that didn't blind you as soon as it turned on. After a short moment, I saw a blue hedgehog with red shoes run across the screen. Behind them they left the word 'Sega' in blue before they ran past again and the word went from all pixel-y to smooth. The screen announced the word, and then went to a screen with a whole bunch of boxes on it.

"I managed to convince them to let you all have this at least," Jean said while moving a glowing box onto a square that had the same blue hedgehog from before. "They won't let me get another if it's broken, and sometimes I'll need to record what Aurora does with it, but besides that? You're welcome to use it as much as you want."

Leanne gave her a worried look. "What exactly does 'record what Aurora does with it' mean?"

Indra pulled out a pad thingy from his chest fur, giving it to Jean who smiled. "It means that I managed to convince Spinel that several of the things she needs from Aurora can be measured through games. Which is nicer for everyone."

Koko leaned in a bit. "So… they're letting us play video games… for science?" She asked skeptically.

Jean nodded. "It's kind of a long story, but all you need to worry about is that Aurora needs to play a specific game sometimes and I need to write some stuff down when she does. Past that? You can play whatever you want with it."

Koko immediately ran forward and grabbed a weirdly shaped plastic thingy. "Finally! Something to play! I could only imagine so many fake scenarios to keep my brain busy. Come on Aurora, let's do this thang!"

It was the most animated I had seen Koko since… I dunno if I had ever seen her this happy yet. Eclipse had a small smile on her face. She wasn't moving to play as well or anything, but she felt… happy. That Koko was happy. Mama gently nudged me forwards, and I sat next to Koko and picked up one of the other weirdly shaped plastic thingies. It had loads of buttons on it, some sticks with nubs on top and a glowy bit at the front of it.

The screen now showed the blue hedgehog from before with green eyes, long spikes on the back of his head and a big smile. Next to him were a yellow fox with blue eyes and a red echidna with purple eyes and long hair lock thingies on the side. Below them read 'press start'.
Koko noticed I was looking over everything. "I think this is one of the older games, but I remember playing with Eclipse when we were younger. It's called Sonic the Hedgehog 3. These," She held up the plastic thingy, "Are the controllers we use to play the game."

"Knuckles is the best," Eclipse said from behind us with a small grin.

Koko rolled her eyes. "She always related to his punch everything attitude. I like Tails because he's so cute and he can fly with his two tails like a propeller. Wouldn't it be cool if you could fly with your tails?"

I looked at my five, then at Mama. She chuckled and shook her head. {No, we cannot fly with our tails, my child.}

"{Awww…}" I looked back at Koko. "{It'd definitely be fun if I could fly with them!}"

"Right!? Anyway, since you've never played before we should prolly do the tutorial… but it's way more fun to just jump into a game. Trust me, it's super easy! Lemme show you," Koko leaned over and began explaining what every button did really quickly. I thought it'd involve some kinda jumping at the screen, but nope.

"Okay so this game has two player. Since you're the actual fox you can play as Tails. He's better for beginners. I'll play as Sonic, so I'll be the leader, that way you don't have to worry about messing up."

I gave her a worried look. "{But isn't he your favorite?}"

"Yeah, but Sonic is harder to play for your first time and we both wanna have fun right? Plus you can carry me around, so it works out!" She explained easily. She turned around to see some of the other kids our age looking eager to play. Koko pouted slightly before smiling at me. "And we have to remember to give everyone else a turn since apparently Galactic is cheaping out on us and only got us one console. Eclipse used to play this game all the time, so I know she wants a turn even though she's acting all grown up and aloof."

I nodded and hugged her before we started playing together. She was right when she said Sonic was harder to play than Tails; she had to jump on all the things while I could fly for so long. But she got to use the elemental shield thingies, and she was clearly good at it. I did learn how to do things quickly though, and soon enough I was helping carry her over the scary parts. Every time a robot got destroyed, a little animal popped out. When Koko told me that the big angry red human at the end of the levels was the one putting animals in robots, she couldn't stop me from going after him as much as I could.

Jean was writing some stuff a lot of the time, but she never said we had to stop or anything. While we were playing, loads of people got into it. Leanne cheered whenever we beat a level- I mean an act. Eclipse called out for Knuckles to stop being a dick when he'd fight us (and Guinevere would tell her off for bad language), and Ron and Rush got really excited whenever we went through a loop or ran up a wall. Owain and Sue were always making what we did seem super extravagant, hyping up everyone else and getting them into it. Making sure even the more shy, depressed kids got a chance to play.

Eventually Jean did leave, and me and Koko let other people play other games. She eagerly taught anyone who wanted to play, but didn't know how. Even when some people were gonna sleep, a bunch of others kept playing stuff. Leanne, Yvonne, Clive and Elpis got a bunch of unused blankets and made a kind of tent so the people who wanted to keep playing could, while everyone else could sleep. And while the gruel was more than enough to remind us that not everything was better?
It was a little bright spark that we all needed in the middle of everything else happening.

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Clalta 18th~~

A few days later, Owain got called in to fight again with just Sue. We'd figured out by this point that Spinel had something against him; everyone else was usually in some kinda test, or it was me fighting with Mama or her and other people. Sometimes Koko, Eclipse and Yuna would get called in to fight too, but not nearly as much. So even though playing games would've been more fun, we at least wanted to see what happened with Owain.

When he entered the arena with Sue, he looked around a bit to see no one else with them. He then looked up where the Galactic people usually were. "You gave us the stage all to ourselves? I'm flattered! Have you finally come around and understood what the word 'entertainment' actually means?"

Spinel, standing next to Gothitelle and Bronco, crossed her arms and sneered down at him. "Oh but you entertain every time, #180. Every wince of pain that escapes your lips is quite superlative theater. Although, today I believe under the right amount of pressure you'll be able to enact your best performance yet. May I ask, have you ever portrayed a jester? For you are about to dance for the queen."

Owain exaggerated his befuddled look, putting a hand over his eyes and looking around comically. "A queen? Where might she be? For all I see is a poor, mangled excuse for a person and the lackey they've got on a choking leash. I prefer to perform for people who appreciate my shows, you see. Not a self-important maniac."

Gothitelle glared down at him. {He had better be referring to Bronco.}

Owain leaned over, putting a hand to the side of his mouth in a loud whisper while looking at him. "I was definitely talking about Bronco. You're on the shittiest round table I've ever seen."

Spinel continued. "There is nothing worthwhile to you. A second-rate, mediocre actor with minimal success. The only people that'd dare to call themselves your fans are the subjects trapped amongst you. If your intent was to soil my eyes with your flamboyant prostrations then you've succeeded at every-"

"Are you asking me to shit in your eyes?" Owain interrupted. "Because perhaps that'd soil them less than your shit-stained views on the world."

Spinel adjusted her glasses while Bronco quickly side-eyed her. She hated being interrupted.

"Disgusting vagrant," She sighed, forcing the anger out. "If you were anyone else I might deign to explain or rationalize why this must happen, but I loathe your presence far too-"

"Oh so there is a reason!" Owain interrupted again, grandstanding this time while spreading his arms dramatically. "Is it your inflated ego? Your failures at common decency, a desire to cover up? Or perhaps you're simply that much of a bitch. Enlighten us!"

"Watch your tongue!" Bronco spoke up. Gothitelle gave him a curious look.

{Someone's working for that paycheck,} He mused.

"No," Owain rebuked while sticking it out.

"You mother-" Bronco was silenced by Spinel raising her hand, shaking her head.

"It's quite alright, Bronco. I've no need for his respect or his reverence."

{We should just get this over with. There's more to be done,} Gothitelle pointed out.

Spinel stroked her chin and glared at Owain with the same baneful eyes she gave me. The wisps in her gaze sent chills down my spine. "I've humored this subject long enough. #180, if you had just shown the slightest bit of respect you could've changed my mind. Now you will regret every decision that led you to this moment."

Owain continued to mock them from the arena, opening and closing his hand like a mouth while waggling his head. He then rested his head on a fist, smiling cockily at Spinel. "Show you respect? As if. I have dignity, unlike some people here. I'll stay true to morality, thank you."

The ghost in her eyes seemed to jump for joy at that response as a wicked grin crossed Spinel's face. "Please do so. I've always enjoyed watching what happens when the strong finally cede. The faces they make… when they are contorted in despair."

Suddenly, there was cackling in the arena. Sue immediately stood on guard, drawing one of her swords while Owain took the other. The two stood back to back, scanning the arena. Usually, it was brightly lit. And much of it still was, but there were a few scattered shadows here and there.

Me and Mama noticed it at the same time. Two beady scarlet eyes hidden in the shadows, a tiny smirk turning into a wide, toothy grin.

Mama curled her tails around me, even though we weren't there. Unfortunately for Owain and Sue, they were.

The same blur of shadow and claws we fought in the forest streaked out, slashing across Owain's leg. His eyes widened as he struggled to rebalance himself, Sue's face growing more concerned by the second.

{Not that quick on the uptake, huh?} Sneasel mocked, perched on the end of Sue's horn. {Don't worry! I'll make sure your death is as slow as you are then!}

"I see you two are already getting acquainted. I'm sure many of the other subjects are familiar with this particular pokemon." Spinel gestured down to him. "I welcome my adorable little wretch, the twisted master of frost and ebon and your executioner: Cyrus' Sneasel."

She clapped joyfully, her eyes swirling with madness as Sneasel bowed after her introduction. She was acting like how she had with me, except with sickening glee rather than rage. It was definitely worse than the rage. At least that made sense.

"Now my little psychopath," Spinel called for him. A crazed grin spread across his face, filled with anticipation.

"These two profess themselves as actors. I would argue otherwise, but considering what is about to occur they can endeavor to prove otherwise. Their role is the murder victim and you are the mad slasher. This is all being recorded, so be sure they scream as loud as possible. Horror films can never truly get the shrill screams of impalement quite right," She sighed before the pupils of her eyes dilated. Then further. And further. Until there was nothing but a gleaming black where her eyes should've been.

"They have ridiculed me for the last time. Coat the arena with their blood," She ordered in an inhuman, unholy tone. Sneasel nodded avidly, somehow even more motivated.

Mama kept her tails close, while I coughed. My throat suddenly felt bone dry. Even though I knew my face wasn't being slammed against the floor, ghostly mist wasn't filling my lungs… I still felt the pain.

"Damn, so that's what they meant when they say the void stares back," Owain muttered. Sue meanwhile slammed her horn into the wall, but Sneasel hopped off casually before grabbing both ends of her whiskers. In a flash, they were tied tightly around her neck.

"Sue!" Owain cried, running over. She just shook her head, pulling her sword quickly through the knot. A large portion of her whiskers fell to the floor, quickly stained red as Sneasel gouged a huge gash in her leg.

Owain swung the sword where he was, confusion crossing his face for just a moment before quiet determination filled them at the sight. Sneasel was casually walking on the blade of the sword, like nothing happened.

{You two seem so close,} he cackled, {So let's make sure you die the same way! A wound for a wound, let's see who bleeds out first!}

He rushed down the blade, slashing across his torso. The blur following his claws was a mix of cloth, blood and shadow. He paused just long enough for everyone to see his grin, the gleam of his claws, before streaking back over to Sue and dragging his claws across her side.

{And people say Jack the Ripper is wild,} Sue growled before whirling about with her blade. Despite her and Owain's best efforts, Sneasel wasn't getting hit. It wasn't even close. It wasn't long before he grabbed both their blades midair with his claws and dragged them together, making their heads slam into each other.

"I'd say Silas the Slasher fits him better, wouldn't you?" Owain asked through gritted teeth, holding his head.

"Silas? Ah yes, the serial killer…" Spinel noted. "I should thank you, #180, the name fits Sneasel quite well. Matches his master's name as well. Cyrus and Silas, the perfect pair."

Owain rolled his eyes. "Plagiarism! I call pla-"

He was cut off as he stumbled backwards, barely keeping a hand on the sword. Silas had picked up Sue's fallen whiskers and run them through the fallen blood, brushing them across Owain's face and covering his eyes with it. He began trying to wipe it off while Silas did the same to Sue, then stood on Owain's head, holding the whiskers on either side of his face.

{Shame you can't see me right now, I look almost as stupid as you do!} He cackled before stabbing his claws through Owain's arm, dragging him across the wall of the arena. A long red smear followed behind.

I heard a few people throw up behind me. I… didn't know what to feel. There was too much happening.

And more kept happening, Owain's eyes shut tight as he kept his mouth closed. He knew they wanted him to scream. He wouldn't give that to them.

{You're stubborn. I like that! It makes this more fun!} He cried, slamming Owain to the ground before bolting over to Sue, digging his claws underneath the armor plating on one of her forelegs. He then ripped them out in a flash of red, the armor scales flying off. Leaving vulnerable, light blue flesh behind, quickly being covered with red from the wound.

Silas hopped off, landing in the pooling blood without slipping. Like he was used to this. {How about we have a little more fun! I'll be nice and give you a chance. I'll hide, and if you find me, I don't make you into fish sticks!}

"Oh this is exactly what I needed," Spinel swooned. "A refreshing bloodbath to remind the masses of their place. I can't wait till we get to the screaming. They are holding out better than I thought. Wouldn't you agree, Bronco?"

Bronco dutifully nodded. "Absolutely, Professor. Snea- Silas... never disappoints in this department. His battle prowess is a fine example to the other pokemon in our ward."

After he spoke I searched his face. In the early days, he used to cringe when we got hurt. Now? There was nothing. He didn't have the sympathy anymore. And neither did we for him.

{At least he gets the job done unlike Rhyperior,} Gothitelle griped.

Spinel's eyes danced across the arena. "Yet he is still so far from his peak. Only once his claws have been honed with blood against bone as their whetstone may he evolve."

Owain and Sue did their best to stand back to back, injured as they were. We all tried to find Silas before he could attack them. Even though we couldn't tell them anything, maybe it'd help somehow. But every time, there'd be a deathly quiet for a few seconds, save for the dripping of blood. And every time, we'd only notice him as his smile grew and a flash of shadow became a smear of blood.

Soon enough they were leaning on each other more than standing, doing their best to stay upright. Face their foe with everything they had left.

"Quite… the act… isn't it?" Owain chuckled, coughing a bit as he did.

{Indeed… Perhaps our last,} Sue whispered.

They both winced as Silas slashed across them again.

"Perish the thought! The… the show must go on!" Owain exclaimed.

{'Perish' you say? You only had to ask!} Silas chuckled from a shadowy corner before streaking over. This time though, instead of slashing them again, he stabbed both of their hands which held their blades. They didn't even have time to clatter to the ground before they were swooped up by him, Sue whirling around to try and face him.

Just in time for Silas to shove the swords right through Owain's chest, pushing them all the way through to stab Sue.

{And there's your curtain call!} He cried gleefully, snickering at the both of them. {Too bad you couldn't make it last longer, but oh well. We can't all come out on top, can we?}

The same crazed grin I saw from him back in the forest filled his face.

{I'll add your bodies to the pile.}

With that, he turned and scampered back. A small panel opened to the room where Spinel, Bronco and Gothitelle were. He jumped through with ease and leapt up onto Spinel's upper arm, face filled with glee as he began licking his claws clean. She began stroking his face, completely unperturbed by what she had witnessed or all the blood that was covering him sloughing onto her. Bronco and even Gothitelle moved a noticeable distance away from the two.

"You were such a good boy, Silas. The faces they made will enrich my dreams. As always you have such creative ways of inflicting pain on others. Rhyperior and the others could serve to learn from your example. A shame they didn't scream though, but watching their futile struggle was enough." She continued fawning over him and he loved it.

Everything about it made me want to throw up. Her eyes were black swirls as Owain and Sue lay dying in the middle of the arena. The usually pristine and particular Spinel seemed to relish in the blood seeping into her clothes. Onto her skin.

Silas was nibbling on a piece of Owain's flesh and she just… scratched behind his feather with a pleasant smile and asked him how it tasted. The dissonance was maddening.

There were tears streaming down my face, just like everyone around me. The main difference was that while most everyone was distraught, in shock or had passed out? The horror and misery were secondary for me.

What burned throughout me was hatred. And I could feel it in Eclipse, too.

"Well…" Owain coughed, interrupting us all. "That's our final bow... isn't it?"

Sue was silent. She just held Owain close. He chuckled weakly. "It's alright. We'll... be together, no matter what. We promised each other… didn't we?"

Sue nodded slowly as Owain gave a weary grin towards us, where the camera was. "You, though… you need to keep going. The… play's not over yet. We may… be taking our leave, but… well, you know."

"The show must go on," he whispered, as he slumped against Sue, the light leaving his eyes. The ghost of a smile lingering on his face.

The world was silent. From my peripheral point of view I could see Koko, Hazel and Vivian crying into Guinevere's arms as she had them look anywhere but the arena. Eclipse was gripping her hands so hard she had pierced her own skin. Ron and Rush were both crying loads, completely silent and holding each other tight while Leanne and Yvonne held them and us. Paris and Legolas crossed their arms and closed their eyes solemnly. Benny, Mabel, Haley and Bors held each other quietly. Mama kept me close, and without looking at each other? Without saying anything, we both knew what needed to happen.
They needed to pay.

The collar around my neck began to spark, the tears on my face steaming and hissing off. The all-too familiar feeling of electricity wracking my body filled me again, but all I could do was glare at Spinel, Silas, Gothitelle, Bronco, all of them.

Owain was right. This isn't where it ends. They're gonna feel everything they did to him and everyone and then some. If it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure everyone can rest. That Galactic is gone.

~~Iron Island, Year 8520, Taflinal, Solacei 19th~~

"You've learned nothing, have you?"

"Hmm?" Spinel looked down at us. We were in the arena, where Owain had been the day before. They didn't give us time to grieve. They didn't give us a memento of any kind. Rhodo gave us muffins, but that was about all he could do. This time it was me and Mama with Paris and Legolas. We'd fought a Piloswine, and while Paris couldn't use moves or anything? She used one of Legolas' feathers like a knife and managed to get out with nothing but a couple snowflakes and some dirt on her clothes. She had taken a moment to breathe, and then glared up at Spinel.

"You've learned nothing," she repeated. "I don't know if you were involved with the Tohjo war, or inspired by it. But either way, it should've served as a lesson. That nothing like this will ever last. The only thing that awaits those who perpetuate misery is misery of their own."

Spinel was oddly silent after that statement. "I believe it's worth the trouble and the risk to advance humanity. Team Rocket shot too far with Mewtwo, but this is much more feasible once perfected."

"Is it?" Paris asked, a silent rage suffusing her whole form right alongside Legolas. "You're afraid. You know that without the collars, you'd fall before the sun rose. And contrary to what your leader may believe, technology fails inevitably. Spirit and willpower always endure."

"But your bodies will not. You are all barely hanging on thanks to the conditions we put you through. Your performance against Piloswine was… impressive, I shall admit. But it would not save you from the legions we have in store," Spinel shot back. "Do not overestimate your peers. They are quite sullen. It would take a miracle to rally them."

"You say that like we need to wait for one. We'll make our own," Paris retorted. "Our bodies will break? Prove it, then. Activate those collars you're so reliant on. Look me in the eyes and prove me wrong."

Spinel looked down at Paris differently than I had ever seen her. It was a different anger than what she had with me. Whatever she was feeling, she definitely did not like it.

Spinel pulled a remote from her coat. "Finally, a request I will gladly comply with. Another reminder that every painless breath you take is due to my mercy."

Spinel pressed the button. The telltale bolts of electricity shot across Paris' body, streaking across and through her. And yet, she didn't flinch. She continued glaring up at Spinel, silently. The only sound was the crackle of electricity until after twenty seconds, it stopped. The collar didn't deactivate or anything. It just stopped. And she hadn't flinched once.

"We may have a breaking point. But you cannot reach it," Paris stated resolutely. There was no jittering to her hands. No weird flinches to her head or arm or jolts. She just brushed off some excess static electricity, always keeping eye contact.

Spinel, Gothitelle and Bronco stared down at her in stunned silence until Spinel began fiddling with the remote.

"I almost forgot what I was dealing with. Your primitive family likely steeled your body before sending you into the field, but I can adjust. Fusions feel even more pain from type weaknesses than pokemon. Dark energy choking your Decidueye DNA will bring you to kneel," Spinel growled.

What does this have to do with Paris' family?

She pressed a button and black electricity began lashing her body, the bolts larger than previously. I could feel the pain coming from her. And I saw her clench her hands ever so slightly. But she wouldn't bend a knee. Not even a little bit.

Soon, this stopped too. And Paris continued to stand strong. I could feel it wasn't as solid as before, but if you were just looking at her like a human could? She was the same.

"Will it now?" Paris replied. She let the question hang in the air.

Spinel didn't answer. Instead she pressed another button and the collar turned icy blue as it began to chill Paris' body dramatically. "Beg for me to stop or you'll freeze to death."

I walked over to Paris with Mama, and we both made ourselves warm. A small smile crossed her face as she looked up at Spinel. She was shivering a little, but she wouldn't fall. "No."

Spinel's eyes were growing darker. Closer to a dangerous shade of black when she saw Mama and I helping Paris. She turned off the icy effects of the collar and was about to press another button, but she snickered angrily.

"Fire would be useless thanks to your little friends and the flying effects of the collar wouldn't be enough for you. Can you endure the spectral energy consuming your soul? After all that pain?" Spinel pressed another button as the collar turned a dark purple. Ghost gas began spewing out of it, forcing me to hold my breath.

Paris gently nudged me and Mama off of her, so we didn't get caught up in it. Legolas glanced away from Spinel to Paris. {Utilize it. Show them their folly.}

She was clearly in pain, but she simply closed her eyes. Until after a moment, the mist… stopped. It wasn't moving at all, except for more mist gathering around her neck. Until it began rushing across her body and down her left arm, becoming a shape. The mist continued to congeal until Paris was holding a misty bow, tethered to the collar. The excess mist began forming into arrows in her other hand.

"You speak as though I haven't worked with ghosts myself," Paris stated flatly. Legolas simply rustled his feathers, and while his beak couldn't really do it? I could feel he was smirking underneath his hood.

Gothitelle squinted downwards. {The spectral energy… she's actually channeling it. No one besides #001 or #033 has exhibited this much aptitude over their powers. Could it be due to her bloodline or…?}

While Gothitelle sounded vaguely intrigued by Paris' display, Spinel was literally seeping with anger. The haunted gas that filled my lungs the other day was now gushing from her mouth and eyes. Her hair began to rise and her glasses cracked. Once Bronco noticed his boss was leaking, he let out an audible gasp in surprise and backed up.

So he didn't know what she's actually like… I thought it was obvious she was crazy evil, but apparently not.

She was beyond pissed.

{Spinel, you're making a scene, calm down,} Gothitelle chastised her. {Do not let the test subjects get under your skin. You're losing con-}

"#180 didn't scream as he was being ripped to shreds and now this one is using my own invention against me out spite! Rebellious freaks!" Spinel was shaking with anger. "I know of your family, #068. What they have accomplished. You may come from good blood, but you have achieved nothing. The Alter blood that runs through your veins is the only reason why you stand. You have no worth, you are no threat, you are trash compared to me! I am the elite of Alters! All of you scum… you are nothing!"

Paris just gazed calmly up at her, which only infuriated her further. The remote began cracking under her pressure as she tried to decide which button to press, or all of them.

What's an Alter? What is she talking about? Why does that matter?

"Professor… Spinel?… The remote… you're break-" Bronco tried to speak up.

"Shut up, whelp!" She barked in a visceral, demonic voice. "Give me a pokemon that will assuredly-"

"Spinel." A cold, emotionless voice rang out across the intercom. "Cease failing to prove a point and get back to work. Now."

Even though he wasn't there, everyone in the area immediately looked at Spinel at Cyrus' words. He'd had enough of her throwing a tantrum.

She froze mid sentence as her eyes gradually returned to sanity. The wicked miasma slowly began to return to her body. She handed the damaged remote and glasses to Bronco as she began fixing her disheveled hair. With one last glance she turned to Paris with a livid glare. Paris simply looked back at her, her face as coldly angry as it had been before.

Spinel broke eye contact first, turning back to Bronco.

"We're done here." Was all she said before she left.

Gothitelle lingered a moment longer staring at the back of Spinel, looking vaguely disappointed in her.

Legolas crossed his wings, the same feeling of a smirk coming from him. {Hmh. Seems your 'partner' isn't nearly as in control as she'd like to believe.}

Gothitelle said nothing, glancing back for a moment before following.

The door to the arena opened as Jean and Indra rushed in, the bow of energy dissolving in Paris' hand as the collar turned off. "Are you alright? That was a lot to take," she asked quickly.

Paris nodded, wavering slightly on her feet. Her will was most of what was keeping her standing now.

Like when I was against Spinel…

"I'll be fine," she said calmly, nearly stumbling as Legolas helped keep her steady. She gave me a small smile. "You understand, right Aurora?"
I nodded.

They can't break us unless we let them. And we won't let them.

Entry Log:

-We've begun testing other facets of the fusion's capabilities. #001 has showcased a lack of predatory instinct around the typical prey of Vulpix, but she does fear the sounds of Sneasel akin to Alolan Vulpix. Whether that is due to her past experience with Silas is unclear, but she does seem to understand Sneasels prey upon Vulpix and are thus dangerous. She also appears to be on the autistic spectrum of some capacity, due to her clear lack of understanding of phrases that can be interpreted literally.

We now know how much stronger she is compared to an average human of her age, correlating to how much physical aptitude Vulpix has. She also has exceptional eyesight and hearing, including improved vision in darkness nearly on par with Vulpix.

-It was a risky endeavor, but #001 survived the toxin that Jupiter made which would've killed most other species in less than a minute. A human child of her stature would have died before even reaching Rhodo's office. Kantonian Vulpix typically inhabit locations with high concentrations of poison types and while they do not resist their attacks, their effects aren't as drastic upon them. #001 shares this trait, although I believe her Alolan Vulpix side inhibits it. Further testing will be unnecessary for the safeguarding of her physical health, as sufficient data has been procured from this experiment.

-Once again #001 has blown up from stress during her battle with Scolipede. Fortunately there was still more to gain. The explosion was larger than the previous showcasing she is in fact improving. It is also clear from that explosion that while the other Fusions cannot reproduce abilities, they do have innate resistances and weaknesses corresponding to their given typing.

-Rhodo seems to be adamant on saving the life of #048. Judging by his status, he will survive, although it is just barely a waste of resources. Hopefully something else can be obtained from him afterwards.

-Upon Jean's insistence I've allowed her to use video games to gather data. Amazingly it wasn't a complete waste of time as she did amass useful data. #001's reaction time is far and away superior to any humans', even in non-combat scenarios. Her quick learning of motor skills utilizing hand-eye coordination also applies outside of combat. Interestingly, she showed the closest to anything resembling a predatory instinct that has thus far been recorded from her when told that 'Eggman' was responsible for imprisoning animals within robots. Whether this is her releasing pent up aggression or the beginnings of one of the grudges Ninetales are famous for, we have yet to see.

-#001 is healing slightly ahead of projected parameters. Even accounting for her being a Fusion, it's worth noting. It could simply be that she is a child and recovers more quickly, or it could be something more. Further testing will be required.

-#180 is FINALLY deceased. Quite the spectacle, and we have even dubbed Sneasel as Silas. It was a one sided battle, but there was still data to be gained. Silas is such a good boy, if only he were mine and mine alone. Samurott survived the encounter and Cyrus has ordered she be healed, against my wishes. Regardless of the potential aptitude for Shadow testing, I would much prefer her a lifeless corpse.

-It seems we already have a replacement for #180 as the most vile subject. #068… That woman… I HATE her. Whatever fucking training she has endured in her life has certainly given her thicker skin as she refuses to fall. Whether in battle or by my own hand. I made my intentions to execute her clear and Cyrus had the GALL to tell me I had lost the position to make such decisions on my own.

-Of all the subjects we have collected she has been noted as having the highest concentration of Alter blood. Her family has worked alongside pokemon for generations and their bodies have grown stronger due to epigenetic inheritance. All of them classify as Alters, enhanced humans. Notably her vision, aim and nigh all physical attributes. Regardless, they are just muscle. Brawn. Alters of intelligence such as myself shall lead the world. She is nothing to me. Not even my own blood relatives can compare to me.

-I have lost Cyrus' trust. He believes I cannot control Juliet's power and be a productive administrator. I can see how the other admins look at me. Even Charon dared to make a snide remark, the filthy pig. The scientists and grunts are veering towards fear rather than respect towards me. Minimal difference, but I am a highly successful member of multiple fields. They should be tripping over themselves for me to even glance at their work, yet now they view me an unhinged freak… I don't know what is happening to me anymore.

-Cyrus suggested Juliet leave my body, but I cannot. I've never felt so good in my life. Never felt so free, powerful. I can't lose my research, but I can't lose her either. I can't lose anything more, not after the war… damn that bitch for bringing it up.

-Due to my reluctance to sacrifice anything, Cyrus has decided to micromanage me. I am forbidden from interacting with the fusions alone and now even more subordinates watch me at every turn. I need to research how to become a more apt Channeler, but I do not recall if anyone here has any experience. Possibly one of the subjects? Until then… it may be for the best I keep my distance.

#001 Fused Kalolan Vulpix (Aurora) & Kalolan Ninetales (Ivane) Status: Recovering

#006 Fused Pyroar & Pyroar Status: Recovering

#011 Fused Magcargo & Slugma Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#019 Fused Carnivine & Carnivine Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#020 Fused Furret (Guinevere) & Furret (Chestnut) Status: Nominal

#27 Fused Toxapex (Ibya) & Toxapex (Shoal) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

#033 Fused Eevee (Hazel) & Eevee (Vivian) Status: Recovering

#043 Fused Hydreigon (Paul) & Hydreigon (Tobias) Status: Deceased (Unstable, reverted to feral instincts, used for dissection)

#048 Fused Whimsicott (Arvis) and Whimsicott (Mango) Status: Critical

#053 Fused Flygon (Leanne) & Flygon (Yvonne) Status: Recovering

#068 Fused Decidueye (Paris) & Decidueye (Legolas) Status: Recovering

#072 Fused Swampert (Zacharias) & Swampert (Elvis) Status: Nominal

#078 Fused Phantump (Razin) & Phantump (Urie) Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#079 Fused Glalie & Glalie Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#085 Fused Blissey (Mabel) & Blissey (Haley) Status: Nominal

#086 Fused Bewear (Benny) & Bewear (Bors) Status: Recovering

#090 Fused Krookodile (Corporal) & Krookodile (Sargeant) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

#095 Fused Greninja (Naoko) & Greninja (Shio) Status: Nominal

#102 Fused Bibarel (Hugo) & Bibarel (Baltasar) Status: Nominal

#111 Fused Stantler (Dusk) & Stantler (Comet) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

#123 Fused Female Gallade (Lucia) & Gallade (Arden) Status: Nominal

#132 Fused Pachirisu (Ron) & Pachirisu (Rush) Status: Nominal

#134 Fused Silvally (Clive) & Silvally (Elpis) Status: Recovering

#143 Fused Electrode & Electrode Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#147 Fused Sunflora (Garland) & Sunflora (Dijon) Status: Drained (lack of sunlight)

#158 Fused Rockruff (Koko) Status: Nominal

#159 Fused Dusk Lycanroc (Eclipse) & Dusk Lycanroc (Yuna) Status: Nominal

#163 Fused Spiritomb & Spiritomb Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#171 Fused Emolga (Noemi) & Emolga (Danica) Status: Nominal

#180 Fused Samurott (Owain) & Samurott (Sue) Status: Deceased (Finally)

#188 Fused Typhlosion (Noah) & Typhlosion (Charcoal) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

#193 Fused Noctowl (Keaton) & Noctowl (Twili) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

#199 Fused Breloom (Lola) & Breloom (Etter) Status: Preparing to Throw Their Lives Away

Author's Note:

Aaaaaand it's been a longer minute than last time. Welp. This chapter is longer in part to compensate, and in part because there was a lot that had to happen here. We've officially reached the end of the second third of Helheim, folks! Just a couple more chapters to go until things happen. I got the Covid vaccine a couple days after the last upload and it hit me hard. And then summer heat plus some medical shenanigans hit me and yeah. Now however those have been dealt with, I have an AC in my window and (knocking on wood) the next chapter should be up in two week's time!

Also I'm absolutely gonna try and get this whole bit done before Metroid Dread comes out because that's 100% gonna consume me. Priorities!